Side dump bucket arrangement



T. N. w. LEIJO N SIDE DUMP BUCKET ARRANGEMENT Sept. 29, 1-970.

4 SheetS-Sh'et 1 Filed Oct. 5, 1968 ed FIG.1

FIG. 5

r INVENTOR. T123: NifLs wiLhQl-l'fl ij n A'l-igor nga p 1970 v 'r. N. w. LE'IJON $531,007

- I Filed Oct. 5, 1968 SIDE DUMP BUCKET ARRANGEMENT 4 Sheets-'PSheet 2 FIG.3

1 I mmvron. Tage NiLs Wilhelm LeI'Jqn p 1 1970 T. N. w. LEIJON r 3,531,007

SIDE DUMP BUCKET ARRANGEMENT 4 Shets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 5, 1968 FIG. 6

INVENTOR. Tmge NiLs \n/l'LheLm LQ IJ oH A, OI'HQJS P 29, 1970 13 N. w. LEIJON I 3,531,007

SIDE DUMP BUCKET ARRANGEMENT Filed Oct. 5, 1968 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 VIIIIi/I IIIIIl IN V EN TOR.

Tc'z e Nils Wilhelm L's/Jon United States Patent 3,531,007 SIDE DUMP BUCKET ARRANGEMENT Tage Nils Wilhelm Leijon, Sturevagen 18, Stocksund, Sweden Filed Oct. 3, 1968, Ser. No. 764,746 Claims priority, application Sweden, Sept. 20, 1968,

Int. Cl. E02f 3/70 US. Cl. 214768 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A side dumping bucket arrangement in which a single actuating means progressively unlocks one side of the bucket and then pivots the bucket about the locked opposite sid for dumping. The actuating means may be actuated in either lateral direction to selectively dump on either side.

The present invention relates to a toolholder arrangement, especially side dump bucket arrangements for vehicle mounted loaders.

According to the US. Pat. 2,924,345 (Bodin), an excavator bucket or shovel of open end design and with a gradually increasing bottom height towards the ends is known. An excavator bucket of this type offers little resistance during the digging operation and has a convenient capacity in relation to the width of the vehicle. The excavated material in addition to conventional front dumping can also be discharged in a time saving and advantageous manner by side dumping in one or the other lateraldirection. The three-way dumping bucket of the kind mentioned has because of its advantages been followed by several predecessors which, however, do not exhibit the same qualities.

Because of the heavy thrusts there is a need to attach an excavator bucket of this type to the cradle carrying the bucket in a reliable manner and for this purpose different means have been proposed. In order to permit side dumping in both lateral directions, the pivot means employed must cooperate with special locking means which shall be alternatively releasable. As a rule in addition to one or several hydraulic circuits supplying the necessary force for the side dumping operation of the bucket, separate hydraulic circuits for the control of the locking means are required. However, a great number of hydraulic circuits increase the manufacturing costs of the arrangement and makes it necessary to use special additional arrangements on the vehicle. In addition, a great number of control circuits complicate the work of the tractor driver. Consequently, the problem of arranging the hydraulic looking and driving circuits in a forward and two-way side dumping arrangement has to be considered.

According to Swedish Pat. 215,153 and the patent of addition 219,549, a control system for a side dumping arrangement of the kind mentioned is earlier known. Said control system offers several advantages but has the drawback that, in addition to the socalled third valve, further control circuits are required on the vehicle for control of the side dumping of the bucket. Further, various predecessors of the excavator bucket of open end design described above are known, by Way of example those according to the US. patent specifications 3,022,910 (Anderson), 3,303,568 and Re. 26,268 (Keskitalo) and 3,198,358 (Gardner), all equipped with different types of systems for control of the three-way dumping operation. However, the arrangements described in these specifications suffer from the disadvantages of being complicated by requiring a number of separate control circuits for the driving and locking arrangements installed and/or the 3,531,007 Patented Sept. 29, 1970 drawback of lack of reliable locking of the bucket to the cradle in the digging position, due to the fact that the devices are so arranged that part of the cradle is pivoted together with the bucket during the side dumping operation. The last-mentioned arrangement in addition increases the manufacturing costs. Some of the known arrangements further require complicated valve assemblies, by -way of example spring actuated valves which, in addi tion to making the arrangement more expensive, reduce its reliability.

It is one object of the present invention to provide a forward and two-way side dumping arrangement which is eflicient, reliable and cheap to manufacture, and which does not require any extra installations in the control system of the tractor or excavator vehicle but permits use of the third valve function only for the side dumping operation in both directions, and which in the central digging position renders possible a reliable retention of the bucket to the cradle, thus avoiding the drawbacks involved in earlier known arrangements of the kind described.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages inherent in the inventive concept will become more apparent from the following detailed description of various suitable embodiments, and from the accompanying schematic drawings, of which FIGS. 1, 2 and 4-7 show rear elevational views of different digging structures having side dump bucket arrangements, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment in the digging position. FIG. 2 shows the embodiment according to FIG. 1 in a position immediately after an impulse for side dumping to the right. FIG. 3 shows the embodiment ac cording to FIG. 1 in a position of full side dumping to the right, whereas FIG. 4 shows the same embodiment in a position of side dumping to the opposite side. FIG. 5 is a View of the central portion of a modified cylinderholding structure in the digging position, whereas FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate said embodiment more in detail in different positions upon an impulse for side dumping to the left. The right portion of FIG. 7 shows a modification having auxiliary locking members. FIG. 8 is a partly broken top view of the drive cylinder. FIGS. 9 and 10 are side elevational views of a modified embodiment having auxiliary locking members in a position ready for side dumping and a side dumping position, respectively.

Referring to FIGS. 1-4, the forward and two-way side dumping arrangement comprises a bucket 1 and a cradle 2 supported on laterally spaced lift arms 3 at pivot stub shafts 3'. Laterally spaced tilt arms 4 are also employed and are pivotably attachable to the cradle by means of pivot stub shafts 4'. Forward dumping of the bucket can, thus, take place.

In the digging position illustrated in FIG. 1, a bucket or shovel is attached to the cradle by special locking means at each end portion of the cradle 2. Said locking means comprises a bar 6 extending between the end portions of the cradle. The cradle has on each side two parallel lugs 7, 8 which receive pivot pins 9', 10 secured to flange portions 1a, 1b of the bucket. The bar 6 is displaceable between a central position shown in FIG. 1 in which both pivot pins 9, 10 are secured to the cradle by means of end portions 6a, 6b of the bar and the positions shown in 'FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively, in which one of the pivots is released whereas the other is retained by means of one of said end portions 6a or 6b so that side dumping about the unreleased pivot pin can take place. End portions 6a, 6b of the bar, thus, have the function of detent members.

A hydraulic jack comprising a cylinder 15, a piston 15a, and two piston rods 16, 17, the head portions 161:, 17a of which are engageable to and disengageable from the bucket, is used for pivoting the bucket in either direction. The cylinder 15 is carried by a pair of brackets 18 on the cradle by means of projecting centered hubs 19 engaging V-shaped guide slots 20 in the brackets 18. The cylinder 15 has two connections 21 and 22 to the hydraulic control system of the vehicle. Preferably, conduits 25 and 26 are conduits of the so-called third valve circuit which is common on most tractor vehicles. As will follow from the description given below, only this third valve control circuit has to be used for locking the bucket to the cradle in the central digging and frontdumping position, selectively releasing pivot pins 9 or 10, efiecting side dumping and returning operations in both directions as well as after returning the bucket locking it to the cradle.

In the central digging portion, piston rod heads 16a, 1711 are received in downwardly directed recesses 1e, If in bucket brackets 1a, 1b.

In the central position shown in FIG. 1 the bucket 1 is fixedly secured to cradle 2. When giving an impulse in for instance conduit 25, piston rods 16, 17 therefore cannot initially be displaced to the right. Instead cylinder 15 tends to move to the left and will be guided by the V-shaped recess 20 in bracket 18 to the position shown in FIG. 2 in which piston rod 16 is released from bucket 1. During the movement of cylinder 15, link 28 pivoted on cradle bracket 18 by engaging spaced members 60, 6d on bar 6 will displace said bar 6 to the right so that pivot pin 9 will be released. In addition, piston rod 17 will be free to pivot bucket 1 to the side dumping position shown in FIG. 3.

An impulse in conduit 26 will now return bucket 1 to the digging position. Thereupon cylinder 15 will be returned to its initial position simultaneously displacing bar 6 so as to again secure pivot 9 to the cradle.

A continued impulse in conduit 26 will eifect left hand side dumping of the bucket to the position shown in FIG. 4.

Bracket 18 carrying and guiding cylinder 15 can be constructed in a number of ways. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. -7 hub 19 is guided by a straight recess 20'. Cams 30, 31 guide one piston rod head during the side dumping operation after having permitted disengagement between the other piston rod head and the bucket bracket 1a or 1b.

The locking means of the cradle during digging may be as shown to the right in FIG. 7 and in FIGS. 9 and 1 0. It may consist of two parallel tubes 2a, 2b located on difierent levels, each of said tubes cooperating with a corresponding U-shaped supporting and locking member 10, 1d below the bucket inside flanges 1a, 1b respectively. In this case locking is effected due to the fact that the supporting points between the bucket and the cradle take moments about axes at right angles to the digging direction. When the bucket is not subjected to digging forces, it can be freely tilted in the way described above. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, link 28 connected to cylinder 15 by means of hub 19 has a bent-over portion 28a which is attached to bar 6. Bar 6 is displaceable within the tube 2:: and has at its ends downwardly directed portions, the one denoted 6 shown in FIG. 9. To said portion 6f is attached the detent member 6b engaging and releasing, respectively, pivot 10.

What is claimed is:

1. A side dumping bucket arrangement for use on a tractor comprising a cradle carried by a tractor, a bucket mounted on said cradle on at least two laterally spaced supports, releasable locking means at two of said spaced supports, an hydraulic jack means for exerting a dumping force on said bucket at either of two laterally spaced points thereon, a lost motion device connecting said hydraulic jack means and said releasable locking means, whereby said hydraulic jack means, when moved in one direction, releases one of said locking means and subsequently pivots said bucket about the other locking means as a pivot and hydraulic means operable to actuate said hydraulic jack means and said lost motion device to dump said bucket on one side.

2. A side dumping bucket arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said hydraulic means includes two connections to said hydraulic jack means to move said jack means in the selected direction.

3. A forward and two-way side dumping arrangement comprising a cradle having first and second end portions, a bucket on said cradle, lift means for raising and lowering said cradle, tilt means for tilting said cradle relative to said lift means for forward dumping, said cradle being pivotally interconnected to said lift means, first and second locking means attaching said bucket to said first and second end portions of said cradle, respectively, when the bucket is maintained thereon in its normal horizontally disposed position, means for releasing one of said locking means and for retaining the other locking means in attached relationship between the bucket and the cradle, drive means for pivoting said bucket about the retained locking means, means operatively connecting said drive means to said locking means to selectively release one of said locking means prior to pivoting the bucket about the retained locking means, said drive means comprising a hydraulic jack having a cylinder and two piston rods therein engaging different portions of said bucket, link means operatively connecting said cylinder to said locking means, said cylinder being substantially horizontally mounted on said cradle, said cylinder being displaceable in a predetermined manner in one direction so as to selectively disengage one of said piston rods from the bucket and release the adjacent locking means, said other piston rod in response to continued displacement pivoting said bucket about the retained locking means as a pivot.

4. An arrangement as claimed in claim 3, wherein said first and second locking means are connected to each other.

5. An arrangement as claimed in claim 3, and further comprising means for guiding one of said piston rods during the pivoting of the bucket, said guide means permitting disengagement between said one piston rod and said bucket when said bucket is pivoted by said other piston rod.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,821,313 1/1958 Warner 214-768 3,198,358 8/1965 Gardner 214-768 3,203,565 8/1965 Keskitalo 214-768 3,268,101 8/1966 Pensa 214-768 3,400,845 9/1968 Salna 214-768 3,402,841 9/1968 Salna et a1 214-768 HUGO O. SCHULZ, Primary Examiner 

